


The Dragon Chronicles: England

by TiffanyF



Series: The Dragon Chronicles (TDC) [10]
Category: CSI: Miami, Richard Jury - Martha Grimes, Torchwood
Genre: AU, M/M, ooc
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-19
Updated: 2013-05-27
Packaged: 2017-11-29 19:19:57
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,446
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/690524
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TiffanyF/pseuds/TiffanyF
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A break in the action while we get to know the dragons in England, how they met and what they might have to offer to the dragons in America who are fighting for their lives. Don't own, don't claim, no money is made here.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> http://www.amazon.com/Deadly-Consequences-DATA-Files-ebook/dp/B00C5J6C74/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1364940525&sr=8-2&keywords=Lexxie+Scott
> 
> This is the novel based very, very loosely off of this series.

I think this is a really bad idea and I feel like I’m at a meeting or something, but I can’t think of any other way to start. Writing has never been my strong suit, I always struggled with reports when I had to fill in my thoughts rather than facts, but several people have insisted, so I guess it’s up to me to start this thing. I’m Richard Jury, and it’s taken a few years for me to stop introducing myself with my title. I worked for New Scotland Yard. Now I’m just a civilian again, I guess not just anything, seeing what I know and what I’ve been helping with, but it’s not official. It doesn’t give me a warrant card or a title, just friends and a sense of security. I was shot, you see, and could have gone back to work, but didn’t. I took the excuse of the injury, made it seem worse than it was to my superiors because I couldn’t put myself in that sort of danger again. Not when my life wasn’t the only one on the line. 

You see, I’m not human. Not anymore, and how stupid those words look on paper. I can hear Jack laughing at me now, but it’s true. I’m a dragon. I have been all my life, according to Jack, but didn’t know about it until the day that my best friend was in mortal danger. I don’t remember much about that day, but Melrose, the man I love more than anything, tells me that I changed into a large stone gray dragon and killed the men who were trying to kill him. I just remember waking up in bed next to him and thinking that the world was completely screwed up. We’d met, we’d been best friends almost since the end of our first case together – which I’ll talk about in a minute or two – but I’d never realized I had such deep feelings for him. Feelings the eclipse anything I’ve felt for anyone else ever in my life. When I woke up after I was shot, he was next to me and looked worse than I did. No, seriously, he did, we checked in the mirror and that was when I decided to quit. I’d quit and move to his house in the country. No one would think it odd that I decided to do that, his house is huge and there was easily space for me. I lied to my bosses and left. I think that Mrs. Wasserman is really the only one I feel guilty about leaving, about lying to, but Carole Anne keeps an eye on her. I think a few of my other old work buddies do too, and I really appreciate that. Mrs. Wasserman needs all the support she can get and, if I didn’t think it would hurt her more than my leaving did, I’d move her out near me in under a second. Maybe it’s time to talk to her about that again.

How to talk about Melrose? He’s one of the single most eccentric men I’ve ever met. His hobby, at least when his aunt is around, is studying ceilings. He says you can learn a lot from ceilings. I just enjoy being able to see his neck so exposed to my view. Melrose is also so much smarter than I am. He does the Times crossword puzzled backwards or makes up words to fit and still manages to have them come out making sense. I also seem to remember that neither of us had a high opinion of the other when we first met. His only experience with the police was his own locals and books, while I expected the titled rich man to be, well, to be an idiot honestly. I don’t know that I would have solved that case, or many of the cases that followed, without his help. Such a quick, sharp mind that one. It does mean I’m never bored here in the country. There’s plenty to read, walks to take, friends to visit with, and beds to lie in for what seem like days on end as Melrose and I enjoy each other. That’s the best bit, I think. Being able to touch and be touched and know that we’re never going to lose the other. Never have to live without the other half of our soul.

Doesn’t that just seem overly romantic? I think I’ll let Jack, or more likely Ianto, explain that part. I still don’t really understand it and don’t want to put something in here that’ll cause confusion. I suppose one of us will also have to tell about how we met and what’s happened since. I might leave most of that to Jack and Ianto as well. I don’t like to think about people dying because of who they are. It sits a little too close to home for me. I survived the Second World War, and so did Mrs. Wasserman, even if she’s scared they’re coming back for her. No one will ever hurt that sweet woman. Not while I’m still breathing.  
**

Geez, I don’t know why everyone thinks that I can’t do something simple like introduce myself without trying to hit on someone. I’m Captain Jack Harkness, at least now. There’s a lot of stories in my past, technically your future, that we’re not going into here. Because this isn’t about me, it’s not about what’s happened to me. It’s about the dragons although, knowing what I do, I don’t know what else can be done. You’ll think I’m crazy when I tell you that I’m from the 51st Century. I am, time travel is real, at least in your future, and I know how to use it. I just sort of got stuck and, when I was offered a chance to travel again, I turned it down. For love. Guess I should take this chance to say that I’m not a dragon and neither is Ianto. I’m sure of that, I’ve checked, although with my rather unique condition, it’s possible he is and the Change is never going to be triggered. I really doubt he is though, especially given how many times I’ve almost died, how many times I have died, and will die again. Oh yeah, I can die, I just can’t stay dead. Doesn’t matter what’s coming at me, I can come back from anything. It might take time, but I can do it. It hurts, both the death and the return, but it means that I’m still here so I’m not going to complain about it. Just gets old after a while.

Okay, the dragons. By my time, there aren’t any. There’s even records on when they finally died out, just one more species gone thanks to the marvels of modern technology. There might be one or two who haven’t Changed, but they’re gone. Wiped out for good sometime in the 23rd century. So yeah, they have some time, but on a cosmic scale, it’s not much. I’ve only met two here in the UK, and that was only by accident. Rich decided to stretch his wings one night and was spotted. I was called in to take care of it, people thinking it was aliens and all, but it wasn’t. Still, I took care of it, if you can call a lecture on safety taking care of something. He knows better than to flying around now. The other is a friend of Rich’s who moved to be close to him. I wouldn’t call them a community, hell, I’m not even sure one of them is an alpha, but whatever they’ve got works for them so I’m not going to tell them to change it.

So, what Rich referred to up there, about never having to live without his bonded human, that’s simple enough. Dragons and bonded humans can’t live without the other. The dragon can, sometimes, hang on for about a month, or that’s what rumor says. A lot of what I’m going off of is crap in history books that I only half paid attention to in school. When I was able to get to school. The Time Agency wasn’t much better, but they didn’t restrict access to the general archives and that’s where I picked up most of this. I figured if I was going to be hanging around on Earth back in the day, I’d probably better be ready for just about anything they were going to throw at me so I studied. I planned. And not a damn thing went the way I thought it would. Instead of running my cons and hopping on and off planet, I met the Doctor. I won’t go into that now, it’d be too much for you to handle. I imagine you’re still back up at least two pages ago with me being from the future and not able to die. Those tends to hold people up a little when they first find out about it. I am who I am, can’t help that. I just normally don’t tell people right away. Except Ianto. I told him more about me in our first three meetings than I did anyone else in years. He’s easy to talk to, and he looks good in a suit. I wonder if he’ll take that out when he reads through this before sending it back to Rich to continue the story in. Maybe he’ll just remind me it’s harassment with those beautiful Welsh vowels. I could listen to those all day and never get bored with it. Anyway, I promised to stay on topic to get to be able to write this, and I’m going to do my best to do it because Rich just called with a pretty major problem. Ianto and I are planning to head to the states, but we want to get as much written down before we go as it’s possible to do. I know I won’t die, won’t stay dead, but it just seems like a much better idea to have something written out explaining how Rich and I met and what all we’ve talked about before I leave for the states. Seems there are more dragons there, dragons that have decided to go to war against those who are trying to hunt them down.


	2. Chapter 2

Back to me. Jack insisted. I guess the day I realized things were crazier than I thought they were, and I love a man who has a horse named Aggreived and a goat named Aghast, was the day that I realized Brian was also a dragon and he’d bonded to the man who was my sergeant for many years. I never thought I’d see Wiggins happy about anything, or without his pills and medications, but since their bonding and move to be closer to us, Wiggins has changed for the better. Maybe he always thought he was sick because he was missing the other half of his soul. I do know that Brian always got on better with Wiggins than he did anyone else, so their bonding didn’t come as a total surprise to me. Not really. I just never thought Brian would leave Cornwall. When Melrose told me that he was our new local I almost ran down to the village to see him. Having an old friend, two old friends, move into the local village was something I’d never thought would happen. Don’t get me wrong here, Melrose’s friends have become my friends and they’ve always accepted me for who I am, but having Brian and Wiggins here, having others to share the secret, made me so happy.

Melrose and I haven’t told anyone the truth about me. I think Trueblood and Viv suspect the true nature of our relationships, but we’ve never confirmed anything. If only to keep Aunt Agatha from screaming about it from here to London. That woman annoys me more than she probably knows and I don’t have Melrose’s patience when dealing with her. He just says it’s all Uncle’s fault and ignores her, although I know for a fact the only reason he calls on her to is to see what she’s managed to sneak out of Ardy End that week. I think I’m lucky I wasn’t around when Melrose gave up his titles, well, sort of gave them up. He still uses them if he thinks it will help us with something.

I’m getting side-tracked, Melrose just pointed out. I can’t help it if I want to write a lot about him. Brian. Right, I hadn’t forgotten. When I arrived down at the building where Brian was taking over, Agatha almost ran me over she was in such a hurry to get away. She thinks she runs the village and was no doubt there trying to tell Brian how she expected everything to be done. What Agatha didn’t know, I think, was that Wiggins and I had both told Brian stories about her, and, as he’s a no-nonsense man to begin with, he put the fear of God in her and was laughing when I strolled it. 

I’ll never forget the conversation. “Rich,” Brian said, trying to calm down.

“Brian, that was a thing of beauty. I wish I could get rid of her so easily when she’s up at Ardy End eating all the fairy cakes,” I replied with a smile. I noticed it almost immediately, the small differences around the eyes that I saw on my own face every time I looked in the mirror. The smoothing of wrinkles, his hair less gray. “You too?”

“Yep, me too. That’s why we moved here,” Brian told me. “Wiggins knew what happened to you and we figured there’s strength in numbers. I’ve been looking for a bit of a breather, something new, and this was too good a chance to pass up.”

“I’m really glad you’re here,” I said with a smile. We both paused when the door opened, but it was just Melrose strolling in, cane in hand. “Melrose.”

“I didn’t want to be left out of the action,” he smiled. “Where’s my dear Aunt?”

“She left,” Brian said. “I guess she didn’t like being told that she was an interfering old biddy who had no business here at all, and if I saw her again, I would arrest her.”

Melrose started laughing. “No doubt I’ll hear all about it during tea today,” he said. “Welcome to the village, Brian. It’s good to have you here. Where’s Wiggins? I heard rumors he came with you.”

“He’s at the house fixing it up,” Brian said. He looked at me. “Rich, how safe is it here?”

“We haven’t told anyone,” I told him. “Why don’t you and Wiggins come up to the house tomorrow night for supper and we’ll talk where we know it’s safe?”

“Works for me. Plant?”

“Of course, it’ll make Martha so happy to cook for someone other than Rich and myself. Come around six for drinks and we’ll dine at seven.”

That’s my human, nothing phases him. No, seriously, nothing does. I’ve seen him face down men with guns before with nothing but his walking stick. That it has a sword in it is besides the point. Melrose is a delight and I’m so lucky to have him around.

The next night the four of us talked about dragons, what we knew for sure, which wasn’t much from any of us, and then talked about how we planned to stay hidden. Figures I would be the one to screw that up. It was a cloudy night with rain and no moon, so I thought it would be safe to fly and see what was going on in the area surrounding us. The next day, Jack showed up.  
**

Hello. I’m Ianto Jones and I’ll be telling this part of the story and Jack is slightly tied up at the moment. He needs to learn to do his paperwork in a timely manner. I was the one who took the phone call about an alien presence in Long Piddleton and took the information to Jack. It was rather a surprise when he said that the two of us were going, the rest of the team could handle anything the rift threw out for the next couple of days, and bundled me into the SUV so quickly that I didn’t have time to make coffee to take with us. Something Jack deeply regretted about an hour into the drive.

As we drove, Jack told me why he left the team behind. He recognized the description of the so-called alien that was called in, and it wasn’t an alien. It was a dragon out flying around and, for a dragon to be around then, now, it meant that there was a person around too. I was confused until Jack explained the history to me, as much as he understood of it anyway, how dragons lived in human form, were humans right up until the moment their other half was in mortal danger and then they Changed to dragon form to save them. I wasn’t doubtful, having seen and battled aliens of all shapes and sizes, running the archives at Torchwood made sure that I have an extremely open mind when it comes to certain things, but I’ll admit that I was puzzled. I managed to keep Jack focused on what we were doing, where we were going and not coffee by asking every question that was flying through my mind about dragons. There were things he didn’t know, like how many dragons were out there, if it was possible we would have other calls come in, but there was one thing he was firm on. We could never tell anyone else about it. Not the team, not put this in a report, nothing, because Jack would be damned if he signed the death warrant for the dragon and whoever the dragon was bonded to.

When we arrived in the village, the dragon was just coming in to roost and it wasn’t hard to track him back to where he was living. The house is huge, a mansion to be proper about it, with staff. I never thought I would see anything quite like it, but there it was. Full tea service too, in spite of the late hour. That’s when we met Richard and his human, Melrose. I have never seen a man take such an instant dislike to Jack before, but Melrose did. He hid it well, but I think both Jack and I picked up on it.

I sat quietly and took notes while Jack talked to Richard. About how dangerous it was to be out flying around, showing who he really was and why. I’d never dreamed there were such evil people in the world, not even after some of the things that have happened to me because of Torchwood prepared me to hear about the Hunter groups. I could tell from their reactions that neither Richard nor Melrose had been warned, and it wasn’t hard to figure out that they had no help at all. They were literally finding their way blindly through everything, with some help from a pair of friends of theirs who were in the same position they were. Jack insisted on meeting them as well, which happened the next day, and we made sure to exchange contact information at that meeting. Jack doesn’t know everything, but he knows enough to help keep them safe.

We thought that was the end of it when reports started to filter in from America. It was Jack who worked out that the Hunter groups were in the process of eliminating several communities in America. There was nothing we could do, not even if we had wanted to, because the rift went into over-drive and we were lucky to manage a couple hours of sleep and a meal before the next call came in. Then Rich called with more information, and we went to London to talk with them. I couldn’t help but wonder if maybe Jack was ready to try and help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> http://www.amazon.com/Deadly-Consequences-DATA-Files-ebook/dp/B00C5J6C74/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1364940525&sr=8-2&keywords=Lexxie+Scott
> 
>  
> 
> The novel based very loosely on this series.


	3. Chapter 3

“Jack, have you seen Ianto?” Gwen asked from the door to Jack’s office.

“He’s working on a project for me, Gwen; what do you need?”

“Coffee,” Gwen admitted with an embarrassed smile. “It’s been hours since he made rounds and Owen’s getting, well, he’s getting grumpy.”

Jack shook his head. “Take him to Starbucks,” he said. 

“What?”

“You heard me, make a coffee run. Ianto’s busy.”

“Jack, are you feeling all right?” Gwen asked.

Ianto appeared behind her silently, and tried not to smile when she jumped at the sound of his voice. “Sir, Lord Ardy just rang through,” he said. “They’re on their way and wanted to know if they need to bring anything.”

“What did you tell them?” Jack asked, gathering up folders and stuffing them into his briefcase.

“That we would handle all the arrangements and they should bring only that which we cannot provide,” Ianto replied. “I have our bags in the SUV along with the two items you asked me to find in the archives.”

“Good work, Yan,” Jack smiled. He locked his briefcase and stood up. “Take this and meet me in the garage.”

“Sir.”

Jack smiled fondly and grabbed his coat. He slipped past Gwen out into the main part of the Hub and looked around. “Owen.”

“What do you want, Jack, I’m busy.”

“I’m sure you are, but you’re in charge until I get back from London,” Jack said. “The Rift has been quiet, but you never know what’s going to happen. Ianto will have his mobile on, call him if you need anything.”

“Owen’s in charge?” Gwen asked.

“You have a problem with that, Gwen?” Jack turned and looked at her.

“No,” Gwen said quickly, catching the look in Jack’s eyes. “Owen’s in charge. Got it.”

“No one is to touch the coffee machine,” Ianto said, popping up behind Gwen again, silently enjoying her little shriek. “Any of you touch my coffee machine and you will not like the consequences of that action. I will know, so do not even think you would be able to lie to me.”

Jack smiled. “Have fun, kids.”

“When are you coming back?” Owen yelled after them.

“Don’t know, depends on how long this takes,” Jack replied.

Ianto waited until they were in the SUV before he started laughing. “You’re getting mean, Jack,” he said.

“What do you mean?”

“Leaving Owen in charge like that? You did that just to see Gwen’s reaction, didn’t you? You know he’s going to turn command over within a day of us leaving.”

“They’ll be fine. Honestly, I want to see how Owen does in command,” Jack said. “He needs to learn to trust his instincts a little more and he’ll be a better field agent than he is now. Gwen’s already had her chance at being in charge. No point in letting her have all the fun.”

“Fun,” Ianto said, completely deadpan.

“It’s not like Owen’s going to do any paperwork while we’re gone, so there’s nothing different there,” Jack said. He took the cup of coffee Ianto passed him. “Did anyone else smell you making this?”

“I used the pot in the archives,” Ianto said. “Jack, how long do you think we’re going to be gone?”

“I don’t know, Ianto. I really don’t. It’s possible we’re going to hop over to America and see if we can help anyone still alive,” Jack said. “I was thinking that I could call the Doctor and get him to take them off-world.”

“Would he do it?” Ianto said. “You put it in writing that dragons die out in the future. Wouldn’t that be messing with a timeline or two?”

Jack sighed. “It’s really complicated, Ianto, and I wish I had an easy answer for you, but the simple answer is that it depends on if their death is a fixed point in time or not,” he said. “If it is fixed, if the death of the last dragon in the universe is somehow locked into every timeline in every universe, then the Doctor won’t get involved. There’s a chance though, and asking for his help won’t hurt anything.”

“How will he know if it’s a fixed point or not?”

“He’s a Time Lord,” Jack smiled. “He can see every moment in time and space. I think that’s why he gets grouchy sometimes. It’s no fun to do something if you already know what’s going to happen before you do it.”

Ianto nodded. “We aren’t going to take Rich and Melrose with us, are we?”

“No. God no, it’s too dangerous,” Jack said. “The Hunters are out in force and they are trying to kill every dragon they can find. I’m not going to let our friends just walk into something like that.” He set his cup in the holder and reached for Ianto’s hand. “I’m not too happy about taking you into a war zone either, Yan, but I know you can take care of yourself.”

“So it all depends on what information we have after this meeting at the safe house,” Ianto said.

“Yep, although I think we’re going to be going anyway,” Jack said. “They seem like they need all the help they can get.”  
**

The safehouse that Jury and Plant knew about, where several of their meeting with Jack and Ianto took place was in one of the darker parts of London. They left Plant’s expensive car at his club and took the Tube to get where they needed to go. Somehow, even though they’d left before the Cardiff team, Jack and Ianto were already at the house when Jury knocked on the door.

“Hey guys, come in,” Jack said, stepping back to let the pair slip in. “Ianto’s fixing us something to eat, you hungry?”

“I could eat,” Jury said. “Jack, you have better access than we do, what’s going on?”

Jack locked the door behind them and led the way back into the dark interior of the building. “Not much more than you do,” he said. “Ianto’s been running checks for me, searching databases that we can slip in and out of at will, and there’s nothing there. It means the dragons are still in hiding from the government, but it also means we don’t know much at all.”

“We’re not even sure who we’re looking for,” Ianto added when the group walked into the kitchen. 

“Which is a problem,” Jack sighed. He sank into one of the chairs and ran a hand through his hair. “That hotel though, that’s bugging me. The reports coming in on the dead are confusing, and I feel like there’s stuff being kept out of the reports. No, I don’t think it was any of the dragons killed in that hotel. I think they found a way to strike back at the people hunting them and killed them first.”

“Kill or be killed,” Jury said, sitting down too. “You can’t be sure of that though, can you?”

“Not without a trip to Miami, no,” Jack said. “I’m thinking about going. I want to see if there’s anything I can do to help. If there’s a way to get them out before it’s too late for them.”

Ianto set plates down on the table and turned to get coffee for everyone. “We have a few tricks that we can use to ensure we’re not hurt,” he said. “The problem would be getting them to the states.”

“That’s the least of our worries, Ianto,” Jack said. “Rich, look, I know there’s a large part of you that wants to go with me, but you can’t. You know that, right?”

“Yeah, I know,” Jury said. “I just want to help.”

“How many contacts do you have that might know something about this?” Jack asked.

“Not many,” Jury replied. “I’ve been retired for a couple of years now, and most of my contacts are gone. I don’t know of anyone right off the top of my head that might know something about dragons anyway, and it’s not a question I really want to have floating around the underworld.”

“I don’t blame you there,” Ianto said.

“So, you two go to the states and see if you can help,” Plant said. “Is there anything Rich and I can do from here to help you out?”

“Keep your phone close?” Jack said. “I honestly don’t know, guys. I mean, I know I dragged you down here for a meeting, but I’m just as lost as you are. I’ve got some ideas, but without knowing how things stand in the states, I don’t know what we’re going to be doing. I’d just feel better if you were in London, close to a couple of places I might need help from while I’m gone.”

Jury looked at Plant. “What do you think?” he asked.

“We can stay at the club,” Plant replied easily. “It’ll be a nice break from Agatha, though I will have to go call to see what she took while we’re here.”

“Thanks guys,” Jack said. “Ianto’s got contact information for you, but don’t use the numbers unless I call and tell you to.”

“Right,” Jury said.

“Okay, then let’s start planning,” Jack smiled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short interlude with the England group, also introducing new characters. I'm leaving this one as incomplete as I might have more for Rich and/or Jack to write in their diaries, but we're going back to the main story now.


	4. Chapter 4

Home again, back to the chill in the air. Maybe I can convince Jack that we need to move to Miami or somewhere warmer when I start getting older. I know he wants to stay and monitor the rift, but there will come a day when I can't do this and I hope he'll be coming with me when I retire. 

The first thing I did when I got back to Cardiff was check my coffee machine. Then I called Rich to check in with him. I can understand why they chose not to leave with the Doctor and the dragons in America. We're pretty well removed here and there's never been a hint of any problems from Hunters of any sort in England or Wales, so it would seem rather silly to pack up and leave the life you're living unless you absolutely had to. The Doctor had also promised that the offer of transport would always be open to the dragons on Earth as long as they needed, so if Rich and Melrose needed to go, then we would be able to get them to safety. They were both fine, although it seemed that Melrose's aunt was in a bit of a state. Rich finally put his foot down about how often she was at the estate and told her that if she tried to come more frequently than she was already invited, then he'd make sure she was arrested for trespassing. They didn't know how long the threat would last, but it sounded like they were planning to make the most of the time they had.

It also seemed that they were planning to adopt an orphan pair from London that one of Rich's old co-workers found while cleaning up a bomb site. Melrose needed someone to carry on his family name and Rich knew what it was to live through bombings so they were being allowed to foster the children while the necessary paperwork, visits and checks were run. I think it'll do them both good, to have children around. Keep them young.

When I was off the phone with Rich, I went out to talk with Tosh for a few minutes. Abby and Greg, before they left, had asked me if it would be possible to keep a web site running. It was an information site for dragons set up to look like a gaming page and they wanted to make sure it would always be possible for dragons on Earth to find help should they need it. I knew that, between myself and Tosh, we'd be able to keep the page running and Jack would be able to answer any questions that came through. It was rather an honor to be asked, and I wanted to make sure that there's no way for the Hunters to be able to use the page for evil. That's where Tosh came in. She promised to look the site over and figure out a few traps to put in place for anyone who tried to hack the page.

Then I settled down with a mug of tea to look over the paperwork that had been ignored in our absence. I knew that Jack would be a few days with the Doctor and wanted to have everything perfect for him when he came home.


End file.
